Large screen display systems are a highly effective means for showing a large group information requiring their analysis and decision. By and large, a number of contemporary systems have worked well, particularly where the displayed information has few modifying data inputs.
However, the vastly increased data inputs in some large complex systems have overtaxed the capabilities of the state-of-the-art visual displays. For example, in certain military applications, vast amounts of data are generated which represent a multitude of significant factors to be considered for tactical or strategic situations and these amounts are constantly being updated. Planners and tacticians need constant real-time apprisals of situations to arrive at meaningful solutions. Contemporary displays simply are incapable of handling or displaying this data in a real-time detailed presentation.
One well known large screen display system has a pair of smectic liquid crystal light valves that are thermally addressed by a laser. The writing operations within the crystals are accomplished by a heating created by the impinging modulated laser beam and subsequent cooling action of the liquid crystals. Changing the AC biases is hoped to speed up the writing and erasing operation; however, experience has demonstrated that real-time capability is compromised by the inherent characteristics of these smectic type liquid crystals.
One tried display relies upon a cathode ray tube to photoactivate a liquid crystal light valve. While somewhat faster and responsive changes have been noted, the inability of the cathode ray tube to more specifically display the required small spots compromises the inherent resolution of the nematic liquid crystal light valve. Their full utilization potential is wasted in the CRT design.
Thus, there is a continuing need in the state-of-the-art which advantageously employs the superior narrow beam focusing capabilities of a laser to directly actuate a nematic liquid crystal light valve to provide for a high resolution real-time display of an image on a remote screen.